Oklahoma City-County Health Department Looks To Purchase RV-Style Mobile Health Clinics

The Oklahoma-City County Health Department hopes to spend millions in federal aid to buy RV-style mobile health clinics. 

The city council could approve the roughly $1 million purchase Tuesday morning, as part of a larger request by OCCHD to spend $5 million in funds made available from the U.S. American Rescue Plan Act. 

“They’re going to be able to be used in many, many different ways,” said OCCHD Chief of Operations Phil Maytubby of the 18-wheeled vehicles, which are designed with a closed-door exam room, bathroom, and space for private counseling and more. 

The decision to purchase RV-style health clinics comes from lessons learned during the pandemic. 

In 2021, the department made multiple efforts to host clinics along with churches and community organizations to promote COVID-19 testing and vaccination. 

“Through COVID, we figured out that we have populations that have transportation issues,” Maytubby said. “The more we can get the services to them, the better off we’ll all be.” 

Ebenezer Baptist Church hosted multiple clinics with OCCHD and other health providers in 2021. Pastor Derrick Scobey said they vaccinated more than 1,000 people at the church at a single event in January. Many of whom may have not gotten the shot if it was not available locally. 

In the early months of vaccine availability, African Americans had a limited turnout. Scobey said the partnership broke demographic barriers. 

“These vaccination PODs at that time around the state, per governor Stitt, you would only see 2.5 to 3% African-American representation in those PODs. But the POD that we had here, it was approximately 85% African-American representation,” Scobey said. 

“12 We have to figure out the best ways possible to care for our neighbor.”